1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a drive mechanism for a slide-out room of a mobile living quarters (such as a recreational vehicle), and more specifically to a rack and pinion drive mechanism using two or more motors to move the slide-out room between an extended and a retracted position.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The width of mobile living quarters, such as recreational vehicles, is limited by maximum width requirements of highway regulations. Accordingly, it is desirable to increase or expand the width of the vehicle, when parked for use, to increase the overall living space within the vehicle. Various slide-out rooms have been developed to provide this increased living space. Such rooms generally are retracted into the main living area of the vehicle during travel, and extended laterally from the vehicle to increase its width when the vehicle is parked for use. Typically, a pair of telescopic supporting members are mounted between the frame of the vehicle and the room and drive mechanisms, which are actuated manually, hydraulically, mechanically, or electrically, slide the room laterally relative to the vehicle between the extended and retracted positions.
Many such drive mechanisms require special mounting hardware or necessitate structural modifications to the vehicle during installation. Additionally, drive mechanisms are typically located below the slide-out room, under the vehicle floor, an otherwise desirable storage location. Moreover, since a substantial amount of power may be required to move a slide-out room between the extended and retracted positions, many drive mechanisms are rather large and cannot fit in more desirable locations, for example, within or above the vehicle floor.
Most slide-out rooms are also merely supported on the main room floor. Thus, movement of the slide between the extended and retracted positions causes unsightly wear patterns on the flooring (typically carpeting) of the main room floor.
The objects of the invention are therefore to provide solutions to the shortcomings of the prior art.
The objects of the invention have been accomplished by providing a recreational vehicle comprising a main room portion and an expandable portion extendable from the main room portion to enlarge the living area of the main room portion. The expandable portion is movable through an opening in a side wall of the main room portion by way of an actuator mechanism between extended and retracted positions. The expandable portion has a floor movable over a floor of the main room, and the actuator is positioned in a channel between the main room floor and the expandable room floor and comprises a support rail mounted to one of the floors and a guide member mounted to the other of the floors, to support the expandable rooms between the extended and retracted positions. A drive mechanism is cooperable between the support rail and guide member to drive the expandable room portion between the extended and retracted positions.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the channel is defined within the expandable room floor as a downwardly opening channel which opens onto the main room floor. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the channel is defined within the main room floor as an upwardly opening channel which opens onto a bottom surface of the expandable room floor.
Also in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the support rail is mounted to the expandable room floor, and the guide is mounted to the main room floor. The drive mechanism comprises twin drive motors for driving the expandable portion. The guide member is comprised of a pair of channels having openings facing in opposite directions, and the guide member comprises a slot to receive the channels, and support rollers to support the support rail. The support rail further comprises a rack gear mounted intermediate the channels and a guide member further comprises a pinion gear assembly, driven by the twin drive motors. A gear box is mounted intermediate the pinion gear assembly and the twin drive motors. The pinion gear assembly is comprised of a shaft mounted in the guide member, and a pinion gear mounted to the shaft in alignment with the rack gear. The twin drive motors drive opposite ends of the shaft.
In another embodiment of the invention, a recreational vehicle comprises a main room portion, and an expandable portion extendable from the main room portion to enlarge the living area of the main room portion. The expandable portion is movable through an opening in a sidewall of the main living portion, and has an actuator mechanism for moving the expandable portion between extended and retracted positions. The expandable portion has a floor movable over a floor of the main room, with the actuator being positioned in a channel between the main room floor and the expandable room floor. A support mechanism supports the expandable portion between the extended and retracted positions, and a drive mechanism is positioned with the channel to drive the expandable room portion between the extended and retracted positions.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the channel is defined within the expandable room floor as a downwardly opening channel which opens onto the main room floor. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the channel is defined within the main room floor as an upwardly opening channel which opens onto a bottom surface of the expandable room floor.
Also in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the support rail is mounted to the expandable room floor, and the guide is mounted to the main room floor. The drive mechanism further comprises twin drive motors for driving the expandable room. The guide member is comprised of a pair of channels having openings facing in opposite directions, and the guide member comprises a slot to receive the channels, and support rollers to support the support rail. The guide member comprises a rack gear mounted intermediate the channels and the guide member comprises a pinion gear assembly, driven by the twin drive motors. The pinion gear assembly is comprised of a shaft mounted in the guide member, and a pinion gear mounted to the shaft in alignment with the rack gear. The twin drive motors drive opposite ends of the shaft.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, an actuator member is provided for moving an expandable room portion between fully extended and fully retracted positions in a vehicle room. The actuator member comprises an elongate support rail mountable to the slide-out room floor, the support includes guide ways extending over a substantial length of the elongate support rail. A drive guide mechanism is mountable to a fixed room floor of the vehicle room, having first and second members receivable in the guide ways, and spaced apart along an axis of movement of the support rail. A powerdrive mechanism is positioned adjacent to the drive guide mechanism. A first drive mechanism is rotatably positioned in the drive guide mechanism, and coupled to the power drive mechanism and a second drive mechanism is fixed to the support rail and is driven by the first drive mechanism.
The power drive mechanism is comprised of at least one motor, and preferably the power mechanism is comprised of twin motors. The support rail is comprised of a mounting plate with channels positioned on a lower surface with elongate openings facing outwardly. The drive guide mechanism comprises first and second sets of rollers profiled for receipt in the channel. The first drive mechanism is a pinion gear mounted to a rotatable shaft, mounted with an axis of rotation transverse to the axis of movement of the support rail. The second drive mechanism is a rack gear positioned intermediate the channels.